Ultimate
by ShadowPzzat11
Summary: Everyone believed that Shadow was the ultimate life form. But when a mysterious hedgehog appears to question that fact, an epic battle will erupt!
1. The Coming of Dusk

"Sayonara, Shadow the Hedgehog."

"Maria! No!" Shadow screamed, but it was too late. Maria had already pushed the button, sending the pod he was in towards the planet Mobius. As he began to lose conciseness, Shadow caught a glimpse of something. It seemed to be a hedgehog, flying down to Mobius from the colony. "That's…impossible. I was…the only hedgehog on the colony…"

Shadow awoke from his slumber, gasping. He had that nightmare ever since the incident on Ark. But he was not expecting to have a dream this time. He looked around. He had no idea where he was. "I'm…alive?" He said. Just then, a duck and a walrus walked into the room. They were startled when they saw that he was awake. Shadow jumped up and pinned them both against the wall.

"Where am I?" he asked angrily. Before the two had a chance to respond, a squirrel in a blue vest ran in.

"Please, stop!" she begged, and the look in her eyes reminded him of Maria and convinced him to put the two down.

Again, he asked, "Where am I?"

The squirrel nodded and replied. "You're in Knothole. I am Princess Sally Acorn, and…you have already met Rotor and Dr. Quack," Sally said, pointing over at the duck and the walrus, "Who are you?"

"I am Shadow the Hedgehog, the ultimate life form created by Gerard Robotnik" Shadow answered. Noticing the looks he received from the three, Shadow shook his head. "Do not worry, he is dead, and I currently have no ties to the Robotnik you know."

"Okay, but what happened to you? We found you in the middle of the woods yesterday." Rotor told him. When he heard this, Shadow looked confused.

"I'm not sure. I remember stopping the colony from crashing on Mobius with Sonic's help-." He began, but was quickly interrupted by Sally.

"You were with Sonic?! Is he alright? What about the others?" she asked; a look of concern present in her eyes.

"He is fine, as far as I know. I remember falling...but I can't remember anything else."

"Maybe this will jog your memory," Dr. Quack said, as he pulled out a chaos emerald, "We found this in your hand."

Shadow looked at the emerald, and then he said "I remember now. I was falling, and then I saw a chaos emerald falling also. I grabbed it, and used chaos control to teleport me safely to the ground. I must have passed out soon after."

"Chaos control???" the three asked.

Realizing their lack of knowledge on this subject, Shadow explained it to them. "It is when I use a chaos emerald to move at hyper speed."

Nodding, Rotor then said, "Tell us about what happened on Ark, please."

Shadow told them how he and Sonic stopped the colony from crashing on the planet. While he was talking, Sonic, Tails, Amy, Knuckles, and Rouge walked in the hut. "Hey, Sal-"Sonic said, but he stopped when he saw Shadow. They all did.

"Shadow?" Tails asked in disbelief, having last seen the black hedgehog sacrifice himself to save Mobius from the plummeting space colony.

"We thought you were dead," Knuckles said, flabbergasted at the sight of Shadow.

"How did you survive?" Rouge asked. It was clearly visible that she was happy to see Shadow, even more so that the others. With that, Shadow told them all of how he saved himself from his impending doom. Soon afterwards, Knuckles decided that it was time to return the Master Emerald to Angel Island. After saying their goodbyes, Shadow began to disembark.

"Where do you think you're going?" Amy asked, mirroring the thoughts of everyone else in the hut.

"I believe I've overstayed my welcome. So I'm going to leave…" Shadow said, looking back at his friends.

"No way," Sonic said. "I'm sure that we've got an extra hut around here somewhere."

Tails added, "And if not, then we can build one! It's the least we can do!"

Shadow, smiling at this act of kindness, took the offer graciously.

Sixth months later, Shadow still enjoyed his life at Knothole. He had helped the Freedom Fighters on many occasions, and was considered an honorary member. One day, a message came through on the main moniter, and all of the Freedom Fighters, including Shadow, went to see what it was bout. The screen showed Knuckles and the Chaotix. "Guys, something is attacking Station Square, we're on our way, but you guys should come too."

"What is it, one of Robotnik's robots?" Amy asked.

"No, from what people are saying, it's a hedgehog."

Suddenly, the memory of the hedgehog flying down from Ark flashed across Shadow's mind. He began to fall, but Sonic caught him.

"Are ya okay?" Bunnie asked.

Shaking off the sensation, Shadow replied, "I'm fine. Let's go"

When they got to Station Square, half the city was destroyed. "Vhat could du zees?" Antoine asked. When they landed, Knuckles and the others were already there. Knuckles was fine for the most part, but the members of the Chaotix were injured.

Standing before them was a hedgehog that looked almost exactly like Shadow, only violet and blue instead of black and red. The only significant difference was that his quills bent downwards much like Sonic's, though they still maintained the streaks. The hedgehog smiled confidently as he watched the newcomers step out of the jet. Shadow and Sonic dashed ahead to where Knuckles was. "Hey, Knux, are you okay?" Sonic asked.

"I'm fine, but this guy is extremely powerful. I can't even touch him" Knuckles replied, regaining his breath.

"Who are you?" Shadow asked as he turned his head to the powerful stranger.

"Who am I? I am Dusk the Hedgehog, the ultimate life form, created by the great Gerald Robotnik. I am looking for one called Shadow the Hedgehog, do you know where he is?" Dusk asked boastfully, his arms crossed. His voice was very similar to Shadow's but had a deeper, eviler tone.

As Shadow heard Dusk's claims, he stepped forward. "I'm him, and you're mistaken. I'm the ultimate life form."

"Hm. So you're the other hedgehog Professor Gerald created. Strange, I expected you to be more powerful. I barely sense any energy in you" When Dusk said this, Shadow became enraged.

"We'll see who's stronger," he said as he pulled out the chaos emerald that he always carried with him; the one that had saved his life. "Chaos Control!"

Shadow rushed at Dusk at super fast speed using Chaos Control. When he reached the mysterious hedgehog, Shadow threw a punch. But, Dusk caught it with ease. "Ha. I see you still need a chaos emerald to perform Chaos Control. Pathetic." He then punched Shadow in the stomach and disappeared. He reappeared behind Sonic, grabbed his head, and slammed it into the ground. Knuckles went to throw a punch at him, but Dusk grabbed his arm, and flipped him over onto Sonic's back. As the three started the get on to their feet, Dusk began to levitate into the air. "Do you understand my power now," he said as he grinned, "Or do I have to continue showing you?"

"I don't care who you are, I'm taking you down!" Sonic yelled as he charged at super speed and used his sonic spin. As he was approaching, Dusk held out his hand and stopped him. He then pushed him back into Shadow and Knuckles, sending all three of them to the ground.

"Guys," Knuckles said as they got up, "We can't beat this guy if we attack separately. We need to attack at once!" Shadow and Sonic dashed at Dusk and began throwing a flurry of punches. But, Dusk just kept dodging them all. Knuckles came from behind with a roundhouse, but Dusk ducked to avoid it. He then grabbed Knuckles' legs, and slammed him on the ground. He then kicked Sonic in the head, and went to punch Shadow. He dodged it, but then Dusk elbowed him in the back of the neck.

The Freedom Fighters and the Chaotix watched in horror as their friends were being beaten. "We have to do something!" Mighty said. They went to help, but Knuckles held up his hand to stop them.

"No! If you try to fight him, you'll end up getting hurt. Leave it to us." Just then, Dusk appeared and head butted Knuckles. He then performed a back flip, kicking Sonic into the air with his feet. He blasted Shadow with an energy ball. He began to fly up after, Sonic. When he caught up with him, he slammed him into a building.

"Well Shadow, do you believe me now? You haven't touched me! I am the ultimate life form!" Dusk bellowed as he hung in the air.

Shadow and Knuckles ran to aid Sonic. When they found him, he was lying on the ground, moaning. Shadow told Knuckles, "He should be fine,"

After being helped to his feet, Sonic, slightly delirious from the impact, asked, "What happened?"

"You were punched into a building," Knuckles answered, chuckling at his friend's obliviousness. Just then, the already damaged building began to collapse as it was struck by green energy blasts.

Shadow, Knuckles and Sonic dashed for the exit. When they stepped outside, Dusk was there to greet them. "I'm somewhat surprised you survived that. No matter. There is no way you can defeat me!" He exclaimed, laughing maniacally.

Watching from afar, the Freedom Fighters and Chaotix became frustrated at Dusk's seemingly invulnerableness. "If only they could turn into their Super and Hyper forms, then they could beat him!" Espio said.

Overhearing this claim, Dusk turned his head and asked, "Do you really think that these 'Super and Hyper forms' can possibly be a challenge for me? If you do, you are deadly mistaken."

"We all know they can beat you!" Sally replied confidently.

"Let's see if you are right." Dusk then clapped his hands, and Shadow, Knuckles, and Sonic turned into Hyper Shadow, Hyper Knuckles, and Super Sonic. "…What just happened?" Sonic asked as he looked at himself and his friends.

"I gave you each power equivalent to 7 chaos emeralds and 50 power rings. Now, let's see if your friends are right, shall we?"

Dusk rushed at Hyper Shadow, Hyper Knuckles and Super Sonic. They jumped to the side and each fired an energy blast. When they landed, they could only see smoke. "Heh. Guess he's not so tough after all," Super Sonic said confidently. Then, Dusk dashed out of the smoke and began to attack Sonic. They both threw a flurry of punches and kicks at each other at lightning fast speed. Super Sonic finally landed a blow, kicking Dusk in the stomach, sending him hurtling backwards. He performed a flip to stay on his feet. When he looked up, Hyper Shadow punched him in the face. Dusk was sent flying, and Hyper Knuckles delivered a kick to his head. After spiraling through the air, Dusk landed on the ground. Hyper Shadow, Hyper Knuckles and Super Sonic went to continue their assault, but he disappeared.

"Where'd he go?" Hyper Knuckles asked. They turned their heads as Dusk appeared on top of a nearby building. "Well, what are you waiting for? Come and get me."

Angered at the powerful hedgehog's confidence, the trio began to fly up at Dusk. As they did, Dusk began to gather energy. All kinds of debris began to collect around him. He then released his energy, and all the fragments shot at Hyper Shadow, Hyper Knuckles, and Super Sonic. They avoid them with ease, but then Dusk appeared right in front of Hyper Shadow and knocked him to the ground. Hyper Knuckles and Super Sonic dashed at Dusk and began to attack with a barrage of punches and kicks. It seemed that Dusk had trouble dodging and blocking them.

The Freedom Fighters and the Chaotix watched as their friends took the upper hand. "Yeah! They have this fight in the bag now!" Vector said.

"That guy is going down!" Rotor added.

As her friends cheered, Julie-Su remained silent. "It doesn't seem right. This guy seems to be…holding back," she thought. "But why? I hope those guys know what their doing."

Hyper Shadow flew up at Dusk, who was still holding off Super Sonic and Hyper Knuckles. He then tackled him into the side of a building. Hyper Shadow then tried to throw a punch, but Dusk caught it and punched Hyper Shadow in the stomach. Hyper Knuckles and Super Sonic then fired two energy blasts, sending Dusk to the ground.

"Just give up," Hyper Shadow said as Dusk got to his feet.

"Yeah, you got cocky and gave us enough power to beat you. Bad choice," Hyper Knuckles added.

"You are the ones who are cocky. Play time is over!" Dusk screamed as he began to gather massive amounts of energy. As he did, the ground began to shake. A bright green aura began to envelop him.

"What's happening?" Bunnie asked.

"I don't know," Amy replied, "But it doesn't look good!"

Suddenly, a bright flash emitted from Dusk, blinding them all. When it cleared, his physical form had changed. He was now blue with green streaks. His muzzle was the same color as his fur and no mouth was visible. His eyes had become deep green voids. His quills had grown in length, and were now down to his ankles. He looked very similar to Chaos. "Are you scared now? I am Omega Dusk! Or, in other words, your doom!"


	2. Finding Answers

Omega Dusk charged at Hyper Shadow, Hyper Knuckles and Super Sonic. They went to block his attack, but he disappeared. He appeared behind them, tripped Hyper Knuckles, grabbed Super Sonic and threw him into Hyper Shadow. He then grabbed Hyper Knuckles' leg and began to swing him around. He then let go, sending him flying into a rock. As Super Sonic got up, Omega Dusk was in his face, charging an energy blast. But, he flipped over Super Sonic, and blasted Hyper Shadow in midair. When he landed, Super Sonic threw a punch, but Omega Dusk dodged it with ease and kicked him in the face.

"Pitiful. I expected a slight challenge from you three. But, I guess your just weaklings like the rest of the inhabitants of this planet," Omega Dusk said as he watched the three struggle to get to their feet. They all charged and began to throw punches and kicks, but Omega Dusk dodged them with ease. A blast of energy sent the three attackers flying.

"This isn't good," Super Sonic said as they regained their balance in mid-air. "He's more powerful than we thought."

Hyper Shadow replied, "We'll find a way to beat him."

Omega Dusk began to walk towards them. "Do you still believe you can beat me? I will put a stop to your foolish hopes right now!" He then rushed the trio. He kicked Hyper Knuckles and sent him through multiple buildings. When he landed, Knuckles had powered down. He knocked Super Sonic to the ground and stomped on his head repeatedly until he powered down.

"Now, Shadow, since you believe yourself to be the ultimate life form, your death will be first and the most painful!" He began to rapidly punch Hyper Shadow with fierce aggression. When Omega Dusk stopped his assault, Shadow had powered down. He was barely conscious, blood pouring down his face. Knuckles and Sonic were both lying on the ground, unable to get up. Omega Dusk grabbed Shadow by the throat and began to choke him. "You call yourself the ultimate life form? You're nothing compared to me! Face it Shadow, you're nothing but a FAKER!"

Faker. Faker. Faker. The word echoed through Shadow's head. "This is the end," he thought.

Just then, a rock hit Omega Dusk in the head. "Who dares to strike me?!" When the powerful hedgehog turned, he saw the Freedom Fighters and the Chaotix, standing defiantly before him.

"If you mess with our homies, we'll beat you down!" Vector stated.

"Yeah!" everyone else shouted, agreeing with their friend's words for once.

"Ha. What fools you are! If these three could not beat me, what chance do you have?" Omega Dusk then saw Sally and chuckled. "You are Sally Acorn, Princess of the Kingdom of Acorn, am I correct?" Omega Dusk asked.

Sally replied, "…Yes, I am." To her it felt like her heart was in her throat.

"Would you mind telling your father something? Tell him that in five days, I am going to kill him and everyone else in the Kingdom of Acorn. Do you mind telling him that?" Everyone gasped when they heard this. Then, Omega Dusk looked at Shadow, Knuckles and Sonic, who were all unconscious. "I will let these three live. Maybe they will be foolish enough to challenge me again. I could use the practice." He dropped Shadow and began to fly up into the air. Then, he vanished.

When Shadow woke up, he was in a hospital bed. He was covered in bandages. He looked over and saw that Knuckles and Sonic were awakening also. They were in the same condition. Just then, Sally rushed in and embraced Sonic, kissing him. "Thank god you're all right!" Julie Su followed and gave Knuckles the same treatment.

Groaning in pain, Sonic said, "Easy Sal, like I'm not hurt enough."

"Yeah," Knuckles added, talking to Julie Su.

The rest of the Freedom Fighters and the Chaotix came in, along with Rouge, who ran up to Shadow and embraced him. "I feel horrible! I should have been there to help you guys!"

"It's fine," Shadow replied, surprised by Rouge's sudden hug.

Sonic added, "Yeah, he was way to powerful for any of us."

"How long have we been out?" Knuckles asked, causing everyone in the room besides him, Shadow and Sonic to sigh.

Amy answered, "Two days, which means we have three days before that madman comes and tries to destroy everything and everyone."

"It's gonna be fine. We'll thing of something," Mighty said. "I mean; we've been in worse situations than this."

"We have?" Ray asked.

"Shadow, are you okay?" Bunnie asked.

Shadow didn't reply. He just kept staring into space. 'How is it possible? How could a being stronger than me have existed on Ark without me knowing about it? I need to find out...' He stood up. He saw his chaos emerald on the counter next to him and picked it up.

"Shadow, you should stay in bed," Doctor Quack said. But Shadow walked outside, as if he didn't even hear him. He walked outside and looked into the sky.

"Chaos Control!"

When the flash dissipated, Espio asked, "Where did he go?"

"Ze only place that he can find the answers he wants to know." Antoine replied

Shadow appeared on Ark. He looked around. So much had happened here, and he didn't even know about it. He walked inside. As he walked along the corridors, he thought about what he was looking for. "Where could Professor Gerald keep Dusk without me knowing it?" He eventually came upon the main laboratory. He walked in and looked at the capsule planted on the wall. "Here is where I was made," Shadow said, "but where…" Shadow stopped when he noticed a button beside the capsule. He pressed it, and suddenly, the capsule moved to the side, revealing a secret passage.

Shadow walked through the passage. When he came out, he entered a large room. Computers were all over, and in the center, there was another large capsule. Shadow walked slowly up to it, fearing the worst. On the base of the capsule was a dust-covered slate with letters engraved. When he wiped the dust away, he saw one word in bold print. DUSK. Shadow backed up. "It's true. I'm not the ultimate life form…" He walked up to one of the computers. It was still on. He clicked the mouse, and a picture of Gerald Robotink appeared and began to speak.

"Ha. Those fools are so busy trying to stop Project Shadow that they are blind to my real intention: Project Dusk. A creature so powerful that no army can stop it. I will launch it down to Mobius as soon as it is awakened. Once there, it will hibernate and will not awaken unless Shadow fails to fulfill his duties. If that happens, Dusk will destroy everything! But, I realize that a creature this powerful possesses the ability to revolt against me. So, I have a safeguard planned. I Dusk tries to attack me, Shadow will be able to destroy him."

Shadow gasped when he heard this. "How is it possible? How can I destroy Dusk?" He then again turned his attention towards the computer.

"I guess it is incorrect to say that Dusk is the ultimate life form. He will possess incredible power his entire life, true. But Shadow has even greater power. The only problem is that he has to unlock it first. If he does, then Shadow will be able to defeat Dusk, and destroy the world!"

Then, the screen went blank. Shadow stared at the screen, absorbing what he just heard. "So I can beat him. But how? I guess I will need to train. I still have three days, maybe I have enough time." Shadow then walked out the room, getting ready to train for his rematch with Dusk.

Back on Mobius, everyone was getting ready for the assault. The entire king's army was congregating in front of the castle. The Freedom Fighters and the Chaotix were all grouped together, discussing what they would do "Here's how we are going to do this," Sally said, "When Dusk comes, Sonic, Knuckles and Tails will hold him back, using the chaos emeralds and power rings we collected. If they go down, the Freedom Fighters and the Chaotix will fight. If we lose, it's up to the army. And God help us if it comes to that."

"It won't," Knuckles replied.

"What about Shadow?" Tails asked.

"When Shadow comes, he'll fight with you three."

Mighty looked up into the sky. "Come on Shadow, you have to come…" he thought.

Everyone in Knothole who couldn't fight was being evacuated. Sonic walked up to Sally. "Hey Sal, you all right?"

"Yeah," she replied, "I'm fine. I mean, everything's fine, isn't it?" She then began to cry. "We've never had to evacuate Knothole before. Not like this. I'm afraid that we'll never be able to come back."

Sonic embraced her and kissed her. "Come on Sal, everything is going to be fine."

The Chaotix walked over to Knuckles, who sat on a rock, looking into the distance. "Hey Knux, you okay?" Vector asked.

"Of course. I'm just…thinking, you know, about the fight."

"Knuckles, you're going to beat that guy, you just have to believe in yourself." Julie-Su said, hugging Knuckles and kissing him on the cheek. The other Chaotix nodded in agreement.

Knuckles replied, "Thanks, guys."

The fourth day. When everyone was evacuated, it was just The Freedom Fighters, The Chaotix, and the king's army. They were all tense, even though they still had another day. "We should probably get some rest. It's gonna be a big day tomorrow." Rotor said. They all agreed, and went to their huts. They all wondered about tomorrow and whether or not they would succeed.

Far away, Dusk was thinking about the next day. "It is almost time. After I destroy the Kingdom of Acorn, I will go to the next region, and the next, until I wipe out all life on Mobius, just as Professor Gerald wanted!"

Back on Ark, Shadow was training vigorously. "I have to beat him. I have to!" He stopped. "Why isn't anything happening? I've been training nonstop! And I don't seem to be making any progress!" he yelled as he punched the wall. "Dammit! Why aren't I strong enough?!" He began punching the wall repeatedly. "Why?!? Why?!? Why?!? WHY?!?!?" All of the sudden, he was engulfed in a bright light. When it was gone, he looked at himself. "I…had no idea…I could do this. My emotions. That's what unlocks my power. But it isn't enough. I need to train more."

Sonic woke up in the middle of the night and walked outside. Upon coming out, he noticed all of his friends were outside too. "Couldn't sleep?" Ray asked no one in particular.

Antoine answered with a question of his own. "How cood ve?"

"Well, we might as well stay up now. He's going to be coming soon," Tails added.

"Have to train harder. Have to…oh no. The fifth day. Lost track of time. I have to go. Hope I'm not to late…"


	3. On the Fifth Day

Everyone in Knothole got ready for what was coming. It was the fifth day. Sonic, Knuckles, and Tails stood in front. "You guys ready?" Sonic asked, looking at his friends.

"Yeah. Let's do this." Knuckles replied, looking sternly ahead.

Tails said nothing. "You okay Tails?" Sonic asked.

"Y-y-yeah."

Knuckles told the young fox, "You know, you don't have to do this."

"Are you kidding?" Tails said as the straightened up, looking at the two. "And leave you guys here alone to fight Dusk? No way."

Just then, a line of trees began to fall. Dusk came out of the forest and stood in front of them, laughing maliciously. "I see you have a new recruit. But where is Shadow? Did he realize that he is no where near as powerful as I am? Ha. A faker and a coward. How sad." Dusk then began to laugh even louder.

Sonic, Knuckles and Tails became enraged at Dusk's mocking. "Don't you dare call Shadow a coward!" Sonic exclaimed, clenching his fist.

"Well, what else would you call someone who runs away from an opponent?"

"Shut up and fight!" Knuckles said as the three pulled out seven chaos emeralds and fifty power rings. With a flash, they had turned into Super Sonic, Hyper Knuckles, and Turbo Tails.

Dusk chuckled at the trio's transformation. "I see you are supplying the chaos emeralds and power rings. Oh well. Saves me the energy!" Dusk charged at them and threw a punch. Hyper Knuckles grabbed the punch, and Turbo Tails came and began to punch Dusk in the stomach. They both jumped out of the way, and Super Sonic rushed with his hand charging an energy blast. Dusk dodged him, but then Super Sonic turned around and fired the blast, hitting Dusk in the back.

"Losing steam, huh Dusk?" Turbo Tails said.

"Fool. I'm just warming up!" Dusk vanished and reappeared right in front of Turbo Tails. Dusk used an uppercut to get him into the air. Super Sonic and Hyper Knuckles came from both sides, but Dusk just blasted them with chaos energy. When he looked up, he saw Turbo Tails coming with a kick. Barely dodging it, Dusk grabbed Turbo Tails' leg and threw him to the ground. Super Sonic came from behind and elbowed Dusk in the back. Stumbling forward, Dusk walked right into Hyper Knuckles' punch.

Dusk backed off from the three fighters,. "I see you've gotten stronger. Unfortunately for you, I am not even at my full power!" With a flash, he had become Omega Dusk again. "Time to die!"

"Okay guys! We can beat him! We just…" Super Sonic was cut off when Omega Dusk came and kicked him in the stomach. Hyper Knuckles threw a kick of his own, but Omega Dusk just dodged it and threw a punch, knocking Hyper Knuckles into a hut.

"Am I losing steam now, kid?" Omega Dusk asked as he charged at Turbo Tails. He kneed him in the face, and grabbed him by his tails and threw him towards Super Sonic and Hyper Knuckles.

"Shadow was the only smart one. He realized there was no way you can beat me. Why can you three accept that?" Omega Dusk asked. Hyper Knuckles, Super Sonic, and Turbo Tails flew at Omega Dusk and began to throw punches. "Now you're just boring me. Surely you've realized you can't hit me." Omega Dusk said as he dodged them. He flipped back, and charged at them with his arms out, clothes-lining Hyper Sonic and Turbo Tails. He then head butted Hyper Knuckles, flipped over him, and blasted all three of them with consecutive energy blasts.

The Freedom Fighters and the Chaotix watched the fight from a distance. "Get ready guys," Bunnie said, "It might come down to us." They all began to get ready in case their friends failed in defeating Omega Dusk, which seemed more likely with each passing moment.

Hyper Knuckles, Super Sonic, and Turbo Tails stood, breathing heavily. "This…guy's really tough," Turbo Tails said.

Omega Dusk crossed his arms and cackled. "Do you give up yet? Because this is growing old, in my opinion."

"…Hell no," Hyper Knuckles retorted.

"Yeah," Super Sonic added, "We'll…fight you until we win!" Just then, they began to flicker, and then they had become Knuckles, Sonic, and Tails again. "Crap! We ran out of power rings!"

"How sad," Omega Dusk said, "Killing you will be easier now. Oh well." He ran at them and punched Tails in the stomach. He then hit Sonic with a roundhouse and fired an energy blast at Knuckles in a matter of seconds. They landed on the ground, and didn't get up. "Now, if you'll excuse me," Omega Dusk said, "I have a king to kill. If you're still alive when I get back, I'll put you out of your misery."

The Freedom Fighters and the Chaotix watched as Omega Dusk walked towards them. Only a few feet from them, he stopped and observed. "Is this all? I was expecting more."

"We may not look like much, but we'll beat you!" Amy yelled, wielding her hammer.

"Oh please. I am the ultimate life form. Haven't you heard? There is no way you can win!"

"Where there's a will, there's a way!" Ray yelled as they all charged. Mighty picked up a fallen tree and threw it at Omega Dusk, but the hedgehog just held up his hand and laughed as the tree split. Rouge flew at him and threw a kick, but Omega Dusk just dodged it and kicked her in the back. He then grabbed her and threw her into a tree. Antoine ran at Omega Dusk and swung at him with his sword.

"Do you think a sword will actually do any good?" Omega Dusk said as he grabbed the sword and lifted Antoine off the ground by it. "Now tell me, how do you wish to die?"

"I vish to die ov old age…" Antoine said nervously.

"Too bad. Wishes don't always come true." With that said Omega Dusk held up his hand and blasted Antoine in the chest, leaving a gaping hole.

"Twan!" Bunnie yelled, tears streaming from her eyes as she extended her arm to punch Omega Dusk. He had to let go of Antoine's limp, smoking body to block the punch. Bunnie then charged at the powerful hedgehog and threw everything she had at him. Omega Dusk's laughing only intensified Bunnie's rage. "Stop laughing, you monster!" she screamed as one of her punches finally connected, but had no effect.

"I'm sorry. Did that miserable excuse of a Mobian mean something to you? Well then let me help you join him!" Everyone watched in dismay as Omega Dusk tore Bunnie's robotic arm off, leaving her on the ground in shock.

"You bastard!" Mighty yelled as the charged at Omega Dusk and threw a punch, which Omega Dusk easily dodged. But Mighty continued swinging his arms, hoping to land a blow. Eventually the two stood in at grip lock, equally matched for the most part. "What's so damn funny?" Mighty asked as Omega Dusk snickered.

"You're pretty strong," Omega Dusk replied. "I'll have put an end to that." He then put his feet up against Mighty's chest and began to push off, still holding onto Mighty's arms. Mighty screamed in pain as a loud pop filled the air, signifying the dislocation of both of his arms.

Espio turned invisible and tried to sneak up behind. Omega Dusk could only sigh as he elbowed the chameleon in the stomach. "I have a disappearing act too. Want to see?" He then disappeared and rematerialized behind Espio, kicking him in the back of the head. Desperate, Espio grabbed his shuriken and hurled them at the hedgehog, ho caught them in mid air. Omega Dusk then threw them back at super fast speed, leaving Espio defenseless as the blades pierced his skin.

Vector charged at Omega Dusk to aid his fallen friends. A savage look in his eyes, the crocodile tried to close his jaws around Omega Dusk's head. The powerful hedgehog, however, held Vector's jaws open with his hands. He then pushed Vector's upper jaw up and his lower jaw down, breaking both of them instantly.

Amy came next, swinging her hammer wildly. Omega Dusk dodged the hammer easily, and then hit Amy's wrist with a chop. Amy fell to the ground, clutching her swelling wrist, which was obviously fractured. Rouge flew at Omega Dusk, but he punched her in the stomach, sending her flying into the ground. Seeing Antoine's sword, Omega Dusk grabbed the weapon and stabbed it through Rouge's wing and into the ground. Turning around with a kick, he then shattered Ray's knee.

Sally and Julie Su watched in horror at the brutality of Omega Dusk. Having been begged to by Sonic and Knuckles, the two agreed to watch safely from afar. "We have to do something!" Julie Su exclaimed as she grabbed her pistol.

Sally responded, "What can we do? We have no chance against that monster!" Julie Su sighed helplessly.

"I'm done here," Omega Dusk said as he looked at his fallen opponents. Antoine was dead, and the rest of the Freedom Fighters and Chaotix were crippled.

A voice from behind him caused Omega Dusk to turn around. "Hey, we aren't done yet."

Omega Dusk crossed his arms as he watched Sonic, Knuckles and Tails walking towards him. It was evident that the three were in immense pain. "You three can still stand. Amazing."

"What the hell have you done to them?!?!" Knuckles asked.

"They thought that they could beat me. They have learned their lesson."

"That's it!" Tails screamed.

Sonic added, "We are going to take you down once and for all!"

As the three charged, Omega Dusk muttered, "It seems you three really want to die."

Sonic, Knuckles and Tails attacked Omega Dusk with everything they had. Sonic threw rapid kicks, but Omega dusk grabbed his leg and slammed him into the ground. Knuckles threw a punch with everything he had, but Omega Dusk ducked and kicked him in the head. Soaring through the air, the echidna landed next to Sonic.

"Sonic! Knuckles!" Tails shouted. He turned around and saw Omega Dusk right in front of him. He attacked, but it was no use. Omega Dusk just grabbed him and threw him next to his fallen allies. They all looked as Omega Dusk flew into the air, charging an energy ball.

Sally and Julie Su watched in horror as Omega Dusk unleashed the blast. "Oh my god…" they whispered, and then began to weep hysterically.

"Okay men," Geoffrey St. John said, "We are the only thing that is left between that monster and the king. We need to kill him now."

"Kill me? Surely you are joking." Omega Dusk was standing mere feet away, chuckling at the thought of these soldiers beating him .

"Fire!"

It was amazing that Sonic, Knuckles and Tails were still alive. They tried to get up, but couldn't muster the energy. Just then, they saw a figure walk by them.

"We were wondering… if you were going to come." Sonic said, coughing.

"Go kick his ass…we'll be fine." Knuckles said. Just then, they fell unconscious.

Geoffrey St. John looked around. Most of his men were dead. And Omega Dusk was unscathed. "I believe you said something about killing me?" he said as he began to fly into the air. "Now all I have to do is kill you," he said as he began to charge another large energy blast, "And then I'll kill the king."

"You forgot someone." Omega Dusk looked over as he heard the familiar voice. Shadow continued to walk towards Omega Dusk, staring angrily at him. In his hand was the chaos emerald that he always kept with him. Shadow stopped a few feet away from his counterpart and stood defiantly. "You forgot about me."

"Oh, so Shadow finally decided to show up" Omega Dusk said as he powered down the blast, "It doesn't matter. I'll kill you just like these soldiers."

Shadow smiled slightly. "That's where you're wrong. I can beat you."

Upon hearing this, Omega Dusk began to laugh uncontrollably. "How do you expect to do that? That chaos emerald you're holding won't be able to help you."

"Professor Gerald gave me the power to defeat you just in case you betrayed him. The only problem is, I need to use my emotions to unlock it."

"That's too bad. Have you unlocked this hidden power?" Omega Dusk inquired, slightly fascinated at this fact.

As he began to power up, Shadow replied, "Not completely, but, I learned a trick or two." All of the sudden, he had turned into Hyper Shadow! "I don't need chaos emeralds or power rings anymore."

"Interesting," Omega Dusk stated, "But it's still not enough to beat me."

"That's why I'm here. I need to use my emotions," Hyper Shadow said as he clenched his fist and began to fly up towards Omega Dusk. "And you really piss me off!"

Omega Dusk chuckled as Hyper Shadow propelled towards him. "Very well. Let the fight begin."


End file.
